Who You Are (When You Think I'm Not Looking)
by queenstiel
Summary: On his way home from night patrol, Chat Noir just so happens to overhear Marinette talking to Alya on the phone, and not-so-accidentally discovers that she has feelings for Adrien.
1. Patrol

**A/N: Ohh man, I have been super excited about this fic. This idea hit me about three days ago and I've been writing ever since. Seriously, I've been writing for three days straight please send help.**

 **Anyway, the good news about this fic is that it's already finished, and I'm already planning the sequel! So expect an update around every 2 days or so.**

 **This is my first time writing for this fandom and it has been a while since I've seen the show, so please let me know if I make any mistakes! I've always adored the idea of the love square in ML and I definitely had fun with it, so hopefully you guys will as well!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Who You Are (When You Think I'm Not Looking)**_

 _ **Chapter One: Patrol**_

* * *

Night patrol was never easy, especially when he was on his own.

Usually he tried to keep he and Ladybug's nightly excursions to a minimum; they both needed their sleep during the week and staying out all night guarding the city when they both had tests to study for simply wasn't going to work. And while typically they were on night patrol together (like they did everything), Ladybug had said that she just couldn't tonight, and if he needed anything, he could call her.

Weird.

It's not that he didn't respect her private life or anything, but naturally, he couldn't help but be curious. Although he knew his Lady very well, he didn't at the same time. He didn't completely know the girl under the mask; he only knew what she _allowed_ him to know. Yet he could very easily name her favorite food and the TV shows she kept up with on a weekly basis.

It was close to midnight now and Chat Noir had finally decided that it was time to call it quits. He imagined that even villains like Hawkmoth had to sleep, after all. He was human just like them, or at least, he _thought_ he was. Certainly he wouldn't be sending out any akumas this late at night… _hopefully._ He wouldn't really be fond of the idea of waking up at two in the morning to fight an akuma, and neither would his Lady. In fact, the image of a Ladybug whose sleep had been interrupted was a rather scary one.

He sighed as he hurried along the streets of Paris. He had a feeling that Plagg was running out of energy and that it was only a matter of time before he changed back. He swore that sometimes Plagg wasn't even really tired, just _really lazy._ He was about to pull out his staff to speed things up, but paused when he heard a familiar feminine voice.

"…don't know what I'm doing _wrong_ , Alya."

 _Alya?_

He stopped to listen for the voice again. From where he was it was difficult to hear, but it sounded like the voice came from above him. (Unfortunately, having the appearance of a cat didn't come with the hearing of one)

"…I think it's probably pretty obvious, right? But no matter what I do, he just…"

Her voice trailed out of his hearing range. He swore he knew that voice, and the fact that the girl had mentioned Alya suggested that she was probably in his class.

"Is it just me?"

 _No way… is it Marinette?_

He looked around to find the street he was on. _"Duh, of course! Marinette lives around here."_

So, Marinette on the phone with Alya. Nothing new or out of the ordinary there, the two were practically glued at the hip. He really, _really_ should be heading home but… damn it, he's curious. Who was Marinette talking about? She had mentioned a 'he'… was there a guy she liked? It's not his place to pry, it really, honestly isn't. But the idea of Marinette having a crush on someone made him feel a bit… strange. Of course it was none of his business, but imagining her having some random guy with her all the time didn't sit very well with him.

And besides, when has he ever done what he should?

 _"_ _It'll be quick,"_ he told himself as he made his way up to Marinette's balcony. He perched himself on the edge, flat against the wall right next to her door so as not to be spotted, and listened intently.

"I try to talk to him, but I can't even form proper sentences around him! I just get so embarrassed and I end up saying the wrong thing…"

Chat covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a chuckle. An embarrassed, blushing Marinette was probably a sight to see, all red cheeks and stammers. It's cute. Adorable, even.

"I don't know Alya, it just seems like nothing ever goes right with us. Something is _always_ getting in the way. If I could just get five minutes to talk with Adrien and properly tell him how I feel…"

He felt his heart break for her. If he could, he would find some way to help the poor girl out and allow her some alone time with Adri-

Wait.

 _Wait._

 ** _…_** ** _What?!_**

Chat inadvertently fell off the railing, clinging to the door handle to keep from falling to the ground. Once he successfully regained his balance, he placed a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm his raging heart.

 _"_ _Marinette… likes me? No, wait, she likes Adrien… Adrien, not Chat Noir… but still…_ _ **Marinette likes me?!"**_

Before he can ponder on it further, he heard Marinette's voice again. "Hold on Alya, I heard a noise on the balcony…"

 _"_ _Shit, shit! Abort mission, abort!"_

Chat hurriedly scrambled to get off of the balcony rails, making a not so graceful landing into the bushes below, falling right onto his rear end.

 _"_ _Whoever said that cats always landed on their feet was a dirty liar."_

"…Huh. Weird, I thought I heard something. Anyway…"

He heard his ring reminding him that he had another five minutes tops before he changed back. With all the strength he had left, he staggered to his feet and rushed home, his heart still racing and his cheeks burning red. Thankfully none of the security guards saw him sneaking in through the window; otherwise his father would've lectured him _again_ on "sneaking out". It seemed that the only time his father ever wanted to pay attention to him was to get on his case about something.

Just as he collapsed onto the plush sheets of his bed, Plagg did the same, plopping down right next to his head and heaving an exhausted sigh.

"Hey… kid, do me a favor… next time… don't stay out late stalking pretty girls."

Adrien gaped at him, clearly offended by the insinuation. "I wasn't stalking her!" he insisted.

Plagg groggily floated over to the nightstand and curled up beside the alarm clock. "Weirdo."

Adrien waved him off. "Yeah yeah, whatever. There's more Camembert in the fridge if you want it."

"Thanks but no thanks, for once I'm too tired to eat, no thanks to you and your stalking habits."

"I'm not a stalker!"

"Staaaallllkerrrr."

"Whatever Plagg, _goodnight._ "

Within mere minutes he heard the sound of Plagg's snores filling the room. _Oh well_. He figured it was going to be a sleepless night anyway.

All this time Marinette had liked him, and he had never noticed. And now that he thought back on it… _how?_ It was painfully obvious, and he had totally missed it! Was he that blinded by his feelings for Ladybug that he couldn't see Marinette's rather obvious feelings towards him? He then remembered all of her awkwardly cute smiles, the way she stuttered and blushed when she spoke to him, the way she was so quick to defend him against Chloe or anyone else for that matter. How had he not seen it? She liked him, she has for a long time now, and he was just now noticing because he was a blind _idiot._

A feeling of dread suddenly settled in the pit of his stomach as he came to a nearly horrifying realization. Because as much as he may like Marinette, she was not his Lady, and he was hardly the Adrien she imagined him to be. Even if he did feel that way towards Marinette, he couldn't imagine keeping his secret from her. A relationship wasn't a relationship if one or both of them had to lie.

He couldn't let this continue to go on. It was going to hurt her, but it was for the best in the long run. She would get over him eventually and he would be able to love his Lady without feeling guilty.

 _"_ _Liar. Now you'll always feel guilty for loving her."_

It's not like he can help his feelings. He is in love with Ladybug, he knows he is. It's not like he can just magically start having feelings for someone else. But that would certainly make things easier, wouldn't it?

It sucks, Marinette may hate him afterwards, but it was for the best. No more leading her on.

Tomorrow, he was going to break a heart.

* * *

Marinette had a strange feeling about the day. Although she always tried to be positive and optimistic, today just seemed… off. She didn't necessarily have anything to be worried about. There were no upcoming tests and so far, there weren't any signs of akumas.

 _"_ _Knowing my luck, Hawkmoth will attack while I'm at school today."_

 _It wouldn't be the first time._

Perhaps it was the weather. As she stepped outside she noticed the steely gray sky and the heavy rainfall. Thankfully she had remembered an umbrella this time. Shaking her head, she tried to push down the eerie feeling in favor of an upbeat attitude. _"Today will be a good day… it will definitely be a good day…"_

She sighed in relief when she spotted the school coming into her view, and even picked up her pace. Admittedly, she was practically _dying_ to get out of the rain. But as the school grew closer and closer, that feeling grew _stronger._ It wasn't that she necessarily _wanted_ to be in school, but going had never caused her this much trouble before.

When she reached the stairs, she moved her hand to take the umbrella down so she could go inside, but froze when she heard a familiar voice.

"Marinette."

She nearly fell over as she turned on her heels to face him, her cheeks burning upon eye contact. "A-Adrien," she stuttered. "Good morning."

He smiled, but it wasn't his usual bright smile. It was… somber. Reserved. It reminded her of the fake smiles he would plaster on for the front cover of his father's next magazine. As a model he had to make all sorts of expressions, but her favorites were the _real, natural_ ones. They only made him look even more beautiful. _Was that even possible?_

"Good morning. I, uh… I was hoping I could talk to you before class started."

Her heart started to pound. A typical reaction around Adrien, so it was nothing new, but the tone of his voice suggested something she couldn't quite place. "Oh, is something wrong?"

There's something about him that's not right today. Was the nasty weather affecting everyone? "N-No, not really. It's… important though."

"O-Oh, okay, um… wanna go over to the picnic tables then?"

He nodded and, in a move that neither of them saw coming, he took her hand, leading her over to the shaded area underneath the trees where the picnic tables were.

Marinette had about a million different thoughts bouncing around in her head at the moment. About half of them were screaming about the fact that Adrien was _holding her hand_ , and the other half were all asking what it was he had to talk to _her_ about. Sure, Adrien would make casual conversation with her as friends did; talking about whatever crossed his mind at the time. But they had never had any sort of deep conversation, was this going to be their first?

When they reached the tables, he didn't let go of her hand. He breathed in like he was preparing for something and Marinette could only feel her heart beat harder.

"Marinette, I… I don't really know how to say this, but… I heard from… someone, that… that you…"

Oh no. This was _not_ going where she thought this was going.

"T-That I..?" she nervously trailed, fearing the worst.

"…like me," he finished in a breathy voice, speaking nearly too fast for her to hear. "Is it true?"

If he weren't holding her hand, she might've passed out on the spot. She couldn't look him in the eye. Hell, she couldn't look at him _period._ Her face burned bright red with embarrassment as she contemplated what she should say next. Admitting it now would mean admitting to feelings she had always wanted to confess, but was never ready to do. Every day she found something else that she loved about him. Every day her love grew and changed in a way she never thought possible. Yet here he was, confronting her about it like they were little kids.

At the end of the day, they were still kids after all, weren't they? Had anything changed?

So, she did what any kid would do.

Grinning, she snickered and folded her arms over her chest. _"_ Who told you that?"

Adrien seemed rather taken aback by the response, blinking owlishly at her. "Huh?"

Somehow, she found the strength to keep up her act, as if every word she spoke _wasn't_ killing her. "I-If I liked you, I would've told you!" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Adrien, we're _friends._ I'd never want to ruin that. It's cool, really."

 _She absolutely wanted to ruin it, wanted to destroy the line that kept them apart._

"R-Really?" he asked, those forest green eyes wide and a bit hopeful.

"Yup! Don't sweat it." She turned and gestured to the school. "We should probably get to class, no?"

He remained still, and she couldn't help but notice that he hadn't let go of her hand. "Marinette, are you sure you're alright? You're not lying to me, right?"

She stilled, keeping her back facing him. "…I would never lie to you."

* * *

 _To: Sabrina, 9:05 A.M._

 _OMG, you'll never guess what I just saw!_

 ** _To: Chloe, 9:10 A.M._**

 ** _?_**

 _To: Sabrina, 9:14 A.M._

 _Come sit w/ me at lunch, I'll tell you everything!_


	2. Distraction

**A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback! I now bring you chapter two!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter Two: Distraction_**

* * *

For the first time in her life, the last thing that Marinette Dupain-Cheng wanted to do was think about Adrien Agreste. So, _of course_ , she called Alya.

 _"_ _Right Marinette, because the smartest thing to do when you don't want to think about Adrien Agreste is to call Alya, who knows you have a raging crush on him."_

She could only hope that Alya wouldn't ask, but knowing her, she most definitely would, and that would be a conversation that she'd have to start preparing for.

 _Let's go to the arcade today after school._

"You know, when we first met, I didn't think you'd be the kinda girl that was into gaming," Alya said idly. "I gotta admit, I didn't take you for the nerdy type."

"There's nothing wrong with liking games," Marinette replied sharply, "besides, my papa and I used to play together all the time."

Alya threw her hands up defensively. "Okay, geez. Is… something wrong?"

She averted her questioning stare. "No, nothing. Oh- we're here!"

She _was_ awfully good at games. Her father had taught her his ways and it had eventually gotten to the point where she surpassed him in skill. Marinette currently held the high score in twelve out of the fifteen total games that the small arcade had to offer. She went back every now and then to see if anyone had beaten her scores.

And so, her papa had always said that nothing soothed the soul better than a good game and some freshly baked cookies.

"You win _again,"_ Alya whined, slumping back against the seat. "How are you so good at a driving video game when you can't drive in real life?"

Marinette glared daggers at her. "I'm getting _good_ at actual driving, thank you very much."

Alya playfully rolled her eyes. "Yeah, after that time you almost _hit a dumpster,_ I wouldn't feel very safe in the car with you behind the wheel."

She chuckled at the memory, a light shade of pink dusting her cheeks. "But I _didn't_ hit the dumpster. _That's_ the important part."

The two laughed together, and for the first time in a while, Marinette found herself completely at ease. As much as she adored Adrien and his company, it was like she had to constantly walk on eggshells with him, praying that he wouldn't find out her feelings too early. Of course, she was no stranger to that feeling. She always had to walk on eggshells around e _veryone,_ so as not to let the truth about her alter ego Ladybug slip out, but with Adrien it was different; a different type of anxiety. She had often wondered what it would be like to tell him, and how he would react. Would he be pleased? Disappointed?

"Hey," Alya finally said after a couple moments of silence, "be real with me. What's bugging you?"

Marinette jumped a bit as she was startled out of her reverie. "W-What, I can't hang out with my friend after school?"

Alya's eyes narrowed suspiciously at her. "That's not what I mean," she replied, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You're acting weird. Not to mention that you only go to the arcade when something's up."

Marinette gasped at the accusation. "H-How do you know that?"

"Cause every time you bring me, and then you end up telling me what's wrong. I know the drill by now."

Crap. She had forgotten about that. She may be able to lie to Adrien, but she can't lie to Alya. Because unlike him, she knew her well enough to know _when_ she was lying.

"Adrien knows," she whispered a bit sheepishly.

Alya's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "WHAT?! Marinette, this is-"

 ** _"_** ** _Shh!"_** Marinette's hand flew to cover her mouth and silence her. "Alya, calm down- _eww_ , gross! Did you just _lick me?!"_

She smirked victoriously as Marinette retracted her hand, shaking it vigorously. "Spill. Did you finally confess?"

"Wha- no, he… he found out from someone else. I don't know who told him, but…"

"Well, no offense, but you are pretty obvious."

"Yes, _thank you Alya._ But… who could've said something to him? It… it wasn't you, right?"

She practically gaped at Marinette. "Huh?! Of course not! I'd never go behind your back like that! Do you really think I'd do something so… so… _Chloe?!"_

"Chloe!" Marinette exclaimed. "Do you think it was her?!"

Of course, why hadn't she thought of Chloe before? The girl would definitely use any opportunity she could to embarrass her. But how could Chloe have found out about her feelings towards Adrien? Surely she wasn't obvious enough for even _Chloe,_ who was too self-absorbed to pay attention to anything else, to notice… right?

Alya tapped her chin in thought. "Possibly, but I don't think her miniscule brain could comprehend someone else liking 'her Adri-kins'."

Marinette cringed a bit at the term. Just the mere mention of Chloe was enough to give her a headache and she _really_ didn't need that right now. "Look, it doesn't matter anymore… I don't think he feels the same way."

"What do you mean? Did he-"

"I denied it," she admitted, her voice becoming breathy as she struggled to hold back tears. "I lied to him, Alya."

"Oh Mari," she said, a hint of disapproval in her tone. Regardless, she didn't question her further (despite how much she wanted to), and pulled the shorter girl into her arms.

 _"_ _Geez, what am I gonna do with her?"_

X

She was lying. She had to be lying.

He knew what he heard last night. There was no other way that Marinette could've been talking about him in. It was explicitly, _undeniably_ in the "I like you romantically" sense.

She had to be lying to him, because she was by no means her normal self. The normal Marinette was cute, a bit clumsy, and tripped over her words a _lot_ , especially around him. But she was fun to be around and had a light and warm presence. When he was with her, he wasn't afraid to be himself, because he knew she'd accept him without hesitation. She was _that wonderful_.

But this morning, she was unusually confident when she denied his accusation, seemingly effectively killing any sort of thought of romantic feelings. It didn't convince him, not one bit.

She was lying because it was easier than admitting the truth.

He'd been there before. He's lied countless times to get out of situations he didn't want to be in because it was easier than facing them. It was natural to want to do things the easy way, but it wasn't always _right._

He'd never pictured Marinette as the type to run from her feelings, but could he have been wrong?

 _"_ _Adrien,"_ Plagg whined, breaking him out of his thoughts. He seated himself on Adrien's shoulder. "We're out of Camembert."

He scowled at him, shrugging the kwami off his shoulder. "Whose fault is that?"

"Yours, for not getting me enough."

" _Yours,_ for eating it so fast."

"Get me some more, please?" he pleaded, widening his eyes to pull off his best "begging pet" look.

Unfortunately for him, Adrien wasn't buying it. "You're magic. Why not just make it appear or something?"

Plagg shrugged. "I'm a kwami, not a miracle worker."

Adrien deadpanned. "…Right. I'll get some later, now do you mind shutting up for a while?"

"Why?"

"I'm tired."

"But you just got home! I've been bored all day, and now you're just gonna nap?!"

"Leave me alone."

 _"_ _Adrien."_

"Shut up, or I'm feeding you to the neighbor's dog."

Plagg, not wanting to face the wrath of that horrible creature, nodded and made himself comfortable on the other end of Adrien's bed.

The temporary silence was comforting to him, but of course, after a few moments of silence, Plagg spoke yet again. "…Y'know, you sound upset. Anything bothering you?"

Adrien cracked an eye open. "Not really."

"But what if you're… I don't know, fighting an akuma and you get distracted or something?"

He knew exactly what Plagg was talking about, but feigned innocence anyway. He wasn't really in the mood to fight with him or to _think much at all, actually._ "By what?"

"By whatever… _this_ is! You're all… sad and moping around like… like a _loser!_ "

"Gee, thanks."

Plagg sighed irritably. "Look, are you gonna talk or not?"

The last person that Adrien wanted to have this conversation with was most definitely Plagg, as the kwami wouldn't be able to offer much in the field of genuine advice. "There's nothing to talk about, Plagg. Get some rest; we're going out on night patrol later on."

"Oh, _joy."_

* * *

 **A/N: the dumpster thing is actually a true story. the first time I ever drove I almost hit a dumpster because my foot couldn't find the break ;;**


	3. For Fear of Losing You

**A/N: Ah, why must I turn a cute kids show into an angsty mess?**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three: For Fear of Losing You**_

* * *

Of course, as fate would have it, night patrol turned into an akuma hunt. As he had thought, his Lady wasn't too pleased to be awakened in the middle of the night to help him hunt an akuma. But apparently, Hawkmoth was running on a late schedule today. He had thought Ladybug was just grumpy because she was forced to get up and go out at an unholy hour, but she seemed to be off completely. She was mostly silent as they ran together after the akuma. Not even his ridiculous puns got a reaction out of her. Usually she'd playfully punch his shoulder while holding back a laugh, but this time she merely glared at him and rolled her eyes.

And now, Chat Noir feared he had made whatever _this_ was ten times worse.

"Chat, what the hell? You had him, why did you let him get away?!"

"My Lady, I-"

"Nevermind, just- I'll go after him. Stay behind me."

He could hear the underlying words in the venomous tone of her voice.

 _"_ _Just don't mess anything else up."_

He was off his game today too, it seemed.

He followed Ladybug as she swung through the city, keeping to the tops of the buildings to keep a careful watch on her. When they finally caught up to the akumatized young man that had been terrorizing the city with grotesque bug-like monsters, he was already climbing up the Eiffel Tower, preparing to unleash another wave of the creatures upon the city.

"Oh no you don't!" Grabbing onto her yoyo, she swung her legs forward and launched herself towards the building, landing just underneath him. His eyes went wide with panic as he hurriedly attempted to climb faster. Heights had never bothered her before, but even so, she forced herself not to look down at the city below her, as she could already feel the air getting thinner as they ascended towards the top.

 _"_ _Breathe Ladybug, breathe."_

She picked up her speed and successfully managed to grab onto his ankle, smirking victoriously. "Gotcha."

But he merely smirked back, raising his other foot directly in front of her face. "Not quite, sweetheart." He dug his foot right into her forehead, successfully pushing her off of the tower. Her feet slipped and her arms were too weak to support herself as she felt a heavy fog slip over her, paralyzing her limbs as she fell into darkness.

The last thing she remembered was hearing someone shout her name.

* * *

When she awakened, she was lying in a bed.

She couldn't recognize her surroundings, the lights were bright and her vision was blurred, and the voices were distorted and jumbled. But there was one shape in particular that stood out among the others. A black figure with distinct cat ears.

"…bug."

He was calling for her.

"Ladybug!" His voice, his _face_ , finally came into clarity. "You're awake- God, _finally_ …"

"Chat?" she asked shakily, her voice hoarse as she weakly attempted to sit up. "Where… what happened?"

"It doesn't matter!" He reached down, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You're alive. That's all that matters."

She felt even warmer in his embrace. They hugged a lot, sure, but this one was… different. It was desperate; he was holding her so tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. She could feel his worry, his _love_ , all in the way he held onto her. There was something about it that screamed familiarity and _home_ to her. And for a split second, just for that tiny moment in time, she let herself indulge in it, in _him._ Because he wasn't Adrien, but he was _here,_ he had been there this whole time and she knew for a fact that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Chat," she said when they separated, "tell me what happened."

He sighed, clearly exasperated. "You fell. Thankfully I caught you, but he kicked you so hard that you lost consciousness."

"The akuma!" she suddenly cried out, throwing the blanket off of her. "Where is it, I have to-"

"Hey, take it easy!" Chat placed his hands on her shoulders, urging her back into the bed.

"I'm the only one who can purify an akuma, I have to-"

"I know," Chat replied, his voice low. "I freed the man that it was possessing. But, because you weren't there…"

"It escaped…" she whispered.

Chat's ears lowered as he looked away, nodding slowly.

White hot fury swept over her. Her eyes darkened as she glared poison-tipped daggers at him. "You idiot!"

"My Lady…" Chat tried to place his hand on her shoulder, but she flinched and pulled away, as if his touch burned her.

"That akuma is loose, it could possess anyone! And now, now I have to go after it before it hurts someone else!"

"Well what the hell was I supposed to?!" Chat argued. "Let you fall?!"

"If that's what it took to catch him, then yes! I would've found my own way out-"

"No, you wouldn't have." Chat was inches away from her now. His cat-like pupils had thinned into slits. She could see just how the stress of the night was affecting him up close. Even through the mask she could tell that his eyes were lined with red. His hair was even messier than usual, mussed and knotted like it hadn't seen a hairbrush in years. "Were you even listening to me when I said that you were _unconscious?_ Besides, I caught him anyway, it's not-"

"Then why didn't you wake me up?!" she demanded.

"I tried!" he shouted back. "I tried to wake you up, I begged you to get up so you could catch the akuma but you wouldn't-" he paused as if he were in pain, tightly shutting his eyes and clenching his jaw, "you wouldn't wake up. You wouldn't open your eyes for me and I was _scared_. So I did what I had to and you…" He pointed a clawed finger at her. "You will not fault me for that, Ladybug, do you hear me? You will _not_ get mad at me for being scared of losing you, for trying to keep you _safe!_ "

That was the first time Chat Noir had really, _truly_ lost his temper with her. He was always so patient with her, always easygoing, and if anything ever bothered him he kept silent about it. But now his rage was pouring out of him uncontrollably, like the rain during a thunderstorm.

Somewhere deep down, she knew she was being irrational, that Chat did the best he could, considering the circumstances. But she couldn't stop herself, all the pent up anger and frustration came rushing out of her.

"Yeah? Well look at where protecting me got us," she muttered darkly. "Just this once, couldn't you have put your feelings for me aside?"

Chat's dark eyes went wide, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he processed her words. "You- You think I saved you _just_ because I'm in love with you?"

She blanched. Had she read things wrong? She of course had figured that he had some sort of feelings towards her, what with all of his flirty remarks, but she had never taken them seriously. She didn't imagine that he did either. Had she been wrong about that as well? "Uh… aren't you?"

He opened his mouth, prepared to answer, but a distinct beeping noise that they both knew all too well sounded before he could.

He rose to his feet. "I have to go."

She had regretted it as soon as she said it. Her features softened as she reached out for him. "Chat, wait, we need to talk about this-"

"I think you've said enough. Besides, we can't risk finding out each other's identities, right?"

There was such a sardonic tone to his voice. This wasn't like the Chat that she knew.

"Take it easy for a while, my Lady."

And with that, he was gone, and Ladybug found herself alone again.

* * *

 **A/N: The chapter title is part of a quote from doctor who. The full quote is "Look how far I went, for fear of losing you".**


	4. Excuse

**A/N: To make up for the last chapter, this chapter is going to be a bit longer! Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter Four: Excuse_**

* * *

"Tikki, please, I don't have anything for you to eat here…" Marinette pleaded as the exhausted kwami collapsed into her hands. It was thanks to that very same kwami that Marinette had been able to quickly recover from the injury, but now she was stuck at the hospital with a tired kwami and nothing for her to eat, and it was _way_ past her curfew.

"I can't…" she replied weakly, forcing herself to keep her eyes open. "You used the Lucky Charm. It took all I had to keep you from transforming back right in front of Chat Noir."

Marinette drew in deep breaths to calm herself. What could she do now so late at night? She had never been out on the streets later than seven o'clock in her civilian form, and if she got into any kind of trouble, then there's no way she could transform to get herself out of it. "Okay, no choice then. I'm going to have to get us back home as quickly as possible then, um…"

"See if the buses are still running," Tikki offered helpfully.

The buses stopped running at eleven. Marinette quickly glanced over at the clock and gasped in horror when she saw that it read 10:45 p.m.

"We've gotta leave, now! Tikki, hide!"

Without so much as a word to any of the hospital staff, she quickly hurried down the stairs, through the lobby, and bolted out the door, running for all she was worth to get to the nearest bus stop. Thankfully, there was one about a block away from the hospital, and she could see the bus coming from the other end of the highway.

She rested her hands on her knees, panting to catch her breath. For once, luck happened to be on her side.

* * *

 _"_ _Marinette?"_

"Oh, Papa… hey…" She waved sheepishly, knowing full well what kind of trouble she was in. _"Dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I am_ _ **so dead**_ _-"_

He frowned. "I thought you were upstairs _sleeping_."

"And I was, Papa, but…"

"But what? You decided to _sneak out?_ For what?"

If there was one thing she hated more than lying to Alya and Adrien (and even Chat Noir to some extent), it was lying to her parents. It wasn't as though she could just _tell_ them, after all. _'Well Papa, if you really want to know, I was out saving the world!'_

 _Yeah right._

"I left my textbook at Alya's house, and I needed it for tomorrow's test. So I went to get it."

Not totally implausible, right? She had gotten surprisingly good at the excuses, despite normally being a downright _terrible_ liar.

Tom sighed audibly. "Marinette, you could've just _asked us._ We would've taken you over there. Or, you could've just asked Alya to bring it to school with her tomorrow."

She lowered her head in shame. "I know, Papa, and I'm sorry, I just… I panicked, I didn't think, and I know, I'm in a ton of trouble."

"You were out past curfew," he said, his voice low, "you could've gotten into trouble."

"But I didn't. I'm okay."

"Yes, you are, but I don't want this happening again Marinette, do you understand me? You _could've_ gotten hurt. What were you thinking, leaving the house so late?! There are _bad people_ in this world that could _hurt you-"_

"Nothing happened, I'm fine. I handled myself," she interrupted, gesturing to herself. Thankfully she hadn't sustained any visual injuries from earlier.

"Tonight, but what about the next time? I know you're getting older Marinette, and you're going to want to go out and do things. I'll have to accept that, I understand. But the city isn't always safe; you have to be more careful. So…"

"So…" Marinette trailed, tensing as she awaited her punishment.

"Go to bed for now," he said dismissively. "I'll talk to your mom and decide what we're going to do later. But tomorrow, you are to go to school and come straight home, you are not allowed to stop _anywhere_ else. Understand?"

"But-"

 _"_ _Bed, now."_

She sighed dejectedly, nodding slowly as she made her way up the stairs. Once she was in her room, she collapsed onto her bed, sighing heavily into her pillow. "Tikki, what am I going to do if there's an akuma attack? If I sneak out again and my parents find out, I'm _dead._ Not to mention, I also have to go find that other akuma before it multiplies! There's no way I can miss school for it, I'll get suspended, and then my parents will ground me! _Again!"_

"Marinette, calm down! You'll _have to._ There's no avoiding it. Chat Noir can't do it without you, so you'll just have to come up with an excuse!"

Briefly she thought of Chat and their… _disagreement,_ but shook her head to rid herself of the memory. She didn't have time to feel sorry for herself, not right now. "Yeah, okay… excuses. Yeah, I'm good at that, so… tomorrow, after school, I needed to… stay after to… get help from a teacher?"

"That's good!" Tikki exclaimed. "We'll just have to make sure we find it quickly!"

"Yeah, but finding a butterfly in Paris is like looking for a needle in a haystack…"

Tikki shook her head. "Not if it multiplied. If it did, then those bug monsters will be back tomorrow. If not, then the akuma most likely returned to Hawk Moth."

"And if it returned to Hawk Moth, then all he has to do is wait for that same guy to be upset or angry again…"

"It's a waiting game for now, Marinette. Just get some rest."

Marinette smiled warmly at her. "You too, Tikki. Oh, I almost forgot! I have a stash of cookies in my drawer, if you want some."

The kwami's eyes lit up as she nodded excitedly. "Yes, thank you!"

* * *

"Bug monsters _again?_ Gross. Oh- but no offense, bugaboo. You just happen to be the most beautiful bug I've ever laid eyes on."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "They're frozen anyway, Chat. We just have to track down that guy and find whatever the akuma is hiding in. Speaking of which, why'd you come along? I'm just capturing the akuma."

She had been expecting some sort of snarky or flirty response, as was the 'Chat Noir norm', but he seemed oddly serious. "Because, we're a team. I don't let you do anything by yourself, and I know you'd do the same for me."

"Of course, but-"

He placed his hands on her shoulders, effectively silencing her. "Ladybug, I know you can handle it. I'm aware of that. But I want to help you. Let me, please?"

There were so many different things she'd wanted to say to him in that moment.

 _'_ _I'm surprised you want to help me at all.'_

 _'_ _You shouldn't feel like you have to help me.'_

 ** _'_** ** _I'm sorry.'_**

But she merely smiled, nodded, and allowed him at her side again.

The only thing that seemed to feel right nowadays was Chat Noir by her side.

When they finally managed to track the akuma victim down, he was rather understanding about the situation. And oddly helpful, as he revealed that the akuma was probably now hiding in his glasses. Surprisingly, his guess had been correct.

 _"_ _I don't want to become that person again."_

"Sorry about your glasses," Chat said apologetically, gesturing to the shattered glasses on the floor, destroyed by none other than him.

The man smiled and waved a dismissive hand. "It's okay, I can always get a new pair. Thank you, to both of you."

Chat grinned smugly, folding his arms over his chest. "No problem. It's kinda what we do."

"We'd better get going. Thank you for your help sir."

The man nodded. "No, thank you, really."

"For once, we got through that without having to use Cataclysm or Lucky Charm," Chat said pointedly as he extended his staff. "Care for a ride?"

Ladybug looked back and forth between his smirk and his extended hand. There was a part of her- a _large part_ , which desperately wanted to accept his offer. But she couldn't, and she knew that all too well. To take advantage of his kindness when she had been nothing but cruel to him was hardly fair.

"No thanks, I've got my own transportation." She held up her yoyo, mirroring his smirk. "See you around, Chat Noir?"

"Definitely, my Lady."

* * *

At around ten o'clock the next morning, there's a furious pounding on his front door. He was about to get up to answer it, but instead, another knock sounded on his bedroom door.

"Adrien, it's me. Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

Nathalie, dressed formally as always, stood at attention in his doorway. "There's um… someone who claims to be your friend at the door. Her name is Alya. Should I let her in?"

 _"_ _Alya? What would she be doing here?"_

"Uh, sure, I guess."

"…She seems angry," she noted, "are you certain?"

Adrien swallowed nervously. "…Yes. It's uh… probably important."

An angry Alya was most definitely not a pretty sight. He's seen her when she goes on her rants, he's even heard her curse out Chloe a few times, and that girl has _quite_ a colorful vocabulary. He could only hope that she came over for a friendly chat, but judging by Nathalie's words, he was probably in for an earful.

"Adrien Agreste," Alya hissed dangerously as she stepped into his room, "you'd better tell me what the hell you did to Marinette."


	5. Liar

Adrien threw up his hands defensively, slowly backing away from the door. "Take it easy Alya; I don't even know what you're talking about!"

She rolled her eyes, following him into his room. Every time she would take a step forward, he would take a step backward. She seemed rather aware of the advantage she held over him, as it was clear through her posture and mannerisms alone that she knew something he didn't.

He had a feeling he was about to find out what it was.

"Don't lie to me like you did to her!"

The words hit him harder than he'd like to admit. "Like I did to her?" Adrien asked incredulously. "What do you mean? Marinette's the one that lied to _me_."

She seemed rather taken aback by the response. She blinked owlishly, amber eyes wide. "You knew?"

He nodded slowly, noting how intimidating she looked in that moment. Not a whole lot scared him, but Alya Cesaire most definitely did. "I could tell."

She snickered dryly, briefly averting his eyes. "Figures, she's an awful liar. Well, it seems that Marinette isn't the only liar here then."

He raised a brow, eyeing her warily. "What did I lie about? I've been nothing but truthful to her."

Alya shook her head. "Liar. She said that you were going to say you didn't have feelings for her, but there's no way that's true. I refuse to believe it."

If he was being honest, he wasn't sure if he believed it himself anymore. He found himself guiltily staring at the floor of his bedroom. "It's… kind of true."

"…Shut up."

"It's sort of true-"

"No way."

"It's not that I don't like Marinette, I do, she's sweet and she's funny and we're great friends, but I… I don't know okay?"

Alya didn't appear convinced. "And?"

There was no sense in trying to defend himself any further, he realized, as Alya clearly wasn't in the mood to listen to any of it. "Look, she was right to think that because that's exactly what I was going to tell her. But then she lied about how she felt and I couldn't… I couldn't force it out of her like that. It didn't feel right. She wasn't ready to tell me in the first place."

She stepped closer to him, jabbing her index finger in his chest. "Yeah, well you wanna know what else isn't right? Leading my best friend on when you knew damn well that she had feelings for you. She wasn't exactly _trying_ to hide them."

Now that he thought about it, although Marinette never tried to confess, she never should've had to, because it was all _right there,_ plain as day. But he had been so lovesick, so in love with a girl who'd never look twice at him that he had ignored Marinette's feelings.

That's right. Ladybug would never look twice at him. She thought he was an _idiot,_ after all.

He had hurt his princess, and his Lady, all in the course of two days.

 _Wait- since when was Marinette 'princess'?_

"You're right, and I'm sorry. I did know. I was just… distracted."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Distracted by what? Your crush on Ladybug?"

"How did you-"

"You think I couldn't tell? I run an entire blog on her, and you were more than happy to tell me what you knew about her, remember? I _saw_ the way you talked about her. You had this look on your face, like…"

"Like what?"

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Like she, I don't know, hung the sun in the sky or something. That's when I knew. Why do you like her so much anyway? You don't even _know her._ "

Adrien laughed dryly at that. If she only knew. "You don't know her either, yet you have an entire blog devoted to her."

"Touché, but still, Marinette called me last night crying," she said after a moment of silence, her voice thick and laced with something he couldn't quite define. "She said that if she knew it was gonna turn out like this then she doesn't know if she would've ever loved you like she does now."

He didn't _want_ to imagine it. Marinette, sitting on her bed and crying _over him_. To think of such a happy, cheerful girl in such pain caused him an indescribable agony. The image he'd conjured in his mind was too much, _far_ too much. "She should regret it," he replied lowly, "I wouldn't fall for me either."

She scowled at him. "Oh boohoo Agreste, gonna throw yourself a pity party now?"

"Alya-"

She held up a finger to silence him. "No, as your friend, and as Marinette's best friend, I'm going to tell you what to do. You stop feeling sorry for yourself, get up off your ass, and fix things between you and Marinette."

"Fix it how?" he asked in response. "She doesn't even want to look at me right now! I can't do that to her Alya, I don't want to force her into a friendship she doesn't want-"

"Have you ever tried actually _asking_ her what she wants?" Alya countered. "Because so far all I've heard is what _you_ think is best for her. I appreciate that you're looking out for her, but you need to listen to her too-"

His next words come out unbidden. "I tried listening to her, and she _lied."_

"She lied because she was scared! Show her that she doesn't have to be afraid!"

"By what, lying about feelings I don't have?" Adrien sighed deeply. "Alya, you don't understand. I hurt Marinette, I get it, and you have no idea how badly I wish I could fix it. But trying to force a friendship when she wants something more is… it isn't fair to her, it just isn't. Mari needs… she needs time. _I_ need time."

A few moments of silence passed. He had finally looked up from the floor to meet her eyes, and she could truly see just how vulnerable he was in that moment, how open and exposed he felt before her. "You could at least make it to where she doesn't think you hate her," Alya muttered under her breath. "But okay. I get it. You need time, just… please. Don't let it go on like this forever."

He couldn't have stopped her, even if he wanted to. She was already on her way out, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

His words played over and over again in her head, like a broken record. And seeing Chat Noir so soon _really_ wasn't helping matters.

 _"_ _You think I saved you just because I'm in love with you?"_

She groaned, slumping back into her chair. "I messed up, Tikki. I messed up _really bad."_

Tikki smiled reassuringly. "I know Marinette, it's okay. Everyone says things they don't mean sometimes."

"But I hurt Chat!" Marinette argued. She sighed, burying her face into the pillow she was hugging. "All because I was upset over Adrien, I hurt one of my best friends…"

"You should apologize to him," Tikki urged, kindly blunt as usual. "It'll make both of you feel better."

"I know," she replied, her voice muffled by the pillow, "but I can't even look at him or Adrien right now…" She raised her head, and Tikki was surprised to see the tears that now streamed down her cheeks. "I keep alienating the people I care about, Tikki. First Adrien, now Chat, and I nearly got into a fight with Alya."

"Mari-"

"I know, I can't let it affect my position as Ladybug," she interrupted with a small huff.

Tikki looked away guiltily. "Well, I wasn't going to say that, but that is true." The kwami suddenly perked up however as an idea struck her. "If you can't talk to Chat or Adrien, then… what about a date?"

"I think a date is the _last_ thing I need right now."

"Then what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know!" she snapped. She saw the way Tikki recoiled and sighed, immediately regretting her harsh tone. "I'm sorry Tikki, I just… I think I need some time alone. Let me know if there's any akuma activity."

She merely nodded sadly, watching as Marinette practically moped over to her bed, flopping face forward onto the mattress.

"I hate seeing you so miserable, Marinette."

"I hate _being_ miserable, Tikki."

* * *

During the next week at school, Marinette continued to avoid Adrien at all costs, and, unsurprisingly, he did the very same to her. They would wave to each other in the morning and that was about all the interaction they had throughout the day. Marinette stayed with Alya, whereas Adrien stuck with Nino, who had also picked up on their strange behavior.

 _"_ _Did something happen between you guys?"_

 _"…_ _Sort of."_

Thankfully, Nino didn't question it further. But unfortunately, he wasn't the _only_ one who had noticed.

"It's weird," Chloe whispered, "they're not talking _at all_ anymore."

"Really?" Sabrina asked, subtly eyeing Marinette from across the room.

She snickered. "Yeah, after Adrien rejected her, I bet she hates him now."

"Are you sure he rejected her?"

Chloe nodded. "Positive. Lots of girls confess to Adrien and get rejected, and Marinette isn't any different. She wouldn't stand a chance with him."

"To be fair Chloe, he rejected you too," Sabrina pointed out.

While it was technically true, it wasn't quite something she was ready to admit. "Shut up. And besides, I know how to get him to like me back." The blonde looked over her shoulder to where Marinette was quietly chatting with Alya, grinning devilishly. "Hey, Sabrina, wanna help me with something?"

Sabrina frowned. "I don't know. Marinette looks pretty upset. I feel a little bit bad for her."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Duh, that's why it's the _perfect opportunity._ Fine, don't help me, but don't expect me to help _you_ any time soon."

"I never need your help…" Sabrina mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought." She grabbed the pen she had sitting on her desk. "Hand me a piece of paper."

* * *

 **A/N: I sort of want to write a separate fic where Alya gets information about Ladybug from Adrien for the Ladyblog, because I think it'd be super cute. Thoughts?**


	6. An Unlikely Invitation

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the feedback! As a writer it really is encouraging. I do put a lot of time and effort into my writing so I'm glad to know that some of you are enjoying it! ^^**

 **And now time for a few review responses!**

 **Evander1435: You'll see ;)**

 **Rose Tiger: No relationships come without complications of some sort, no? ;)**

 **Kekepikapika: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it and I hope you will stay tuned! Trust me, things will definitely get better!**

 **Madrien: No worries, I like angst but not that much, and yeah, I couldn't help but slip in a reference to one of my favorite shows ;;**

 **prisciliwitz27: Thank you! Poor Adrien indeed, but it'll be worth it in the end!**

 **Lokilust: I've always thought the same thing! However, I don't think that Chloe has no chance of redemption, and I imagine that her getting a miraculous will be the start of her redemption arc, which I think is good! I don't think I'll ever like her, but seeing her become a better person would be nice.**

 **Rose Tiger: Ahh Chloe, when will she learn? ;)**

 **Miraculous lover: Oh I definitely plan to! I meant that I would write that after this one was finished.**

 **And now, without further adieu, chapter six!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six: An Unlikely Invitation**_

* * *

"Why would _Chloe_ want you to sit with her at lunch?"

"I don't know, but I got this note from her before class started…" Marinette pulled out the folded sheet of paper that Chloe had slipped to her.

Alya unfolded it and proceeded to read.

 _"_ _Mari,_

 _Come sit with me at lunch! There's something I wanna talk to you about. It's important, so you better be there!_

 _-Chloe 3_

"Well, at least she's not necessarily hiding her evil intentions," Alya noted, "are you gonna go?"

Marinette shrugged. "I guess there's no harm in seeing what she wants."

That wasn't exactly true; knowing Chloe there was always some sort of negative impact that came from interacting with her. Even so, for Chloe to even pretend that she wanted something to do with her was strange, and she had to admit that she was rather curious.

"Good, then I'm coming with you."

Marinette held up her hand in front of her to stop her. "No, she won't say anything if you're there. She asked for me, so I'll talk to her."

Alya merely looked at her in disbelief before sighing and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Alright. But if you end up in a fight, I got your back."

She giggled. "Thanks Alya, I'll try not to punch her."

The two parted ways as Marinette made her way to where Chloe sat. The table was full of people, as to be expected. And of course, Chloe saved a spot for her. Right across from her. _Great._

"Hey Marinette!" Chloe said cheerfully, gesturing to the open spot across from her. "Go ahead, sit down!"

Marinette _definitely_ wasn't buying the 'kind, decent human being' act. She seated herself, resting her cheek on her hand with a rather jaded expression on her face. "What is this about Chloe?"

Chloe suddenly frowned, leaning forward so she was face-to-face with her. "Straight to business, I guess. Alright, I'll keep this short: I _heard_ what you and Adrien were talking about last week at the picnic tables."

Marinette paled, dark blue eyes growing wide with horror. Her lips parted slightly in shock as she attempted to understand the blonde's words. Of all the people to overhear their conversation, it had to be _Chloe?!_

"I know, awesome right?" she added deviously. "Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know so I could offer you my condolences."

"Your… _what?_ "

"My condolences," she repeated, placing a hand over her chest, right where her heart was (at this point, Marinette wasn't even sure that she had one). "It's tough, getting rejected by Adrien. Well, not that _I_ would know of course, but it has to suck. I've seen so many other girls meet the same fate as you Marinette. And I just want to say that I'm sorry, and I'm here for you."

It took every ounce of self restraint that Marinette Dupain-Cheng had not to lunge across the table and strangle the life out of Chloe Bourgeois. Her face flushed red with anger, her fists clenching and unclenching underneath the table, but she couldn't find it within herself to scream at her, to hit her, or to even come up with some sort of witty comeback.

Instead, she calmly rose to her feet, grabbing her lunchbox. "I'm not in the mood for this right now Chloe. I'm just… done. I'm done with this, and I'm done with you."

And with that, she was already walking back over to Alya's table, leaving behind a stunned Chloe Bourgeois. A small smile of satisfaction spread across her lips when she heard the other students at the table laughing hysterically.

 _"_ _Oh man, Chloe! You just got shut down!"_

She almost wanted to turn around to see the look on her face.

* * *

"Marinette, are you awake? I made dinner…"

Marinette groaned, had she really slept until dinner time? She looked at the time on her phone and gasped. "A-Ah, uh, yeah, I'm up."

Her mother flipped the light on and Marinette squinted, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness of the room. "Oh, you look terrible. What happened? Are you feeling sick?"

"Gee, thanks," she muttered sarcastically, groggily rubbing at her eyes. "What are we having?"

"Is something going on with you?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. "You've been quiet lately. You seem like you don't want to talk to us anymore."

Marinette waved her off. "It's nothing Mom, no big deal."

Her mother shrugged. "Okay, I won't force you to tell me, but it might help if you talk about it."

"I don't really want to. I just wanna eat."

"You sure?"

She sighed, contemplating the thought. She had told Alya and Tikki and while they were both trying their best to be helpful, her mother always did have the best advice.

"…Someone told Adrien that I like him. And he… well, he tried to reject me, but… before he could, I sort of freaked and… lied and… said I didn't like him like that."

Her mother frowned in disapproval, her brows knitting together in worry. "Oh _Marinette_ , now why would you go and do something like that? Out of all the things you could've lied about…" she chided.

"I got scared, Mom!" she said, a little bit louder than she had intended. "I was scared, and I panicked and did what I thought was best. Which clearly was _not_ the best decision…"

She nodded understandingly. "We've all been there at some point or another. But you'll have to tell Adrien the truth eventually. You can't go on feeling sorry for yourself."

If only her mother realized the double meaning of her words.

"…I know," she said, "I will, soon."

"Good. I know it's hard Marinette, but you can't let fear get in the way anymore. Even if Adrien doesn't feel that way towards you, he deserves to know the truth now."

"I _know._ I'll tell him, I promise."

"Good. Now you'd better hurry down here, your food's going to get cold. And your father is making your favorite after dinner."

With the promise of a sweet treat, Marinette didn't need to be convinced any further as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

* * *

There was always a certain… _flow_ in their battles.

It made sense, with Chat Noir being unlucky and destructive, and Ladybug being lucky and restorative. They were like a yin and yang, and one didn't work without the other. So naturally, when one of them wasn't there, it disrupted the flow of the other's movements.

The problem was, they were both there _physically._ But mentally, both of their minds were elsewhere.

Ladybug knew full well that she shouldn't be distracted, that she should be focused on the akumatized woman they were facing. Not to mention, the fact that they were both emotionally vulnerable right now made them a prime target for Hawk Moth in their civilian forms. She had to keep herself focused; otherwise she'd end up having to hunt down yet another wandering akuma.

However, despite both Ladybug and Chat Noir's attempts to stay focused, the usual smoothness of their fighting style was gone. They were clumsy, off balance, and even ended up running into each other a few times. Finally, after a long and tedious struggle, Chat Noir managed to use Cataclysm to catch her, and the akuma _didn't_ get away unpurified.

They both made their way to the side of a building, panting as they tried to catch their breaths. "What _was_ that out there?" she asked, a slight whine present in her tone. Unbeknownst to him, she had been asking herself that very same question.

"Well… you weren't exactly graceful either," he grumbled in response.

"I know," she replied with a sigh. "I don't know what's going on with me Chat, but recently I-"

"We both need to get it together," he interrupted. "If we let this go on then one of us could be Hawk Moth's next victim. I don't want to fight you Ladybug, and I don't think you want to fight me either. So… let's figure this out, okay?"

She wasn't sure what exactly he meant by that. She didn't know how to fix this, how to fix _him_ , without completely coming apart.

She could only settle for the now, and right now, she didn't have much to give. "Chat, let's make a promise: next time, we'll be focused, okay?"

His mouth twitched and pulled into a small smile. "Yeah, alright. Tomorrow night, patrol?"

"It's a date."

She was gone before he could question what she meant, as usual. Now that he thought about it, their night patrol _was_ kind of like a date. Nothing ever really happened usually, so it was just the two of them talking on the top of some building. Sometimes she brought snacks from Marinette's father's bakery. Chat had been beginning to suspect if Marinette was close with Ladybug too.

But, it was the first time she had referred to it as a date, and date night with Ladybug was _definitely_ something he could get used to.


	7. Home

**A/N: We're approaching the end! As I've said before, thank you guys so much for the support! The first chapter of the sequel is already in progress, so look forward to that soon after this is finished!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter Seven: Home_**

* * *

He wasn't much of a reader, but it definitely helped to serve as a distraction. And right now, he needed one more than anything.

However, his relief was short-lived. He was interrupted from his reading when a pair of hands slammed down onto the table.

"Adrien, we've got a problem."

"Alya!" Adrien hissed, glaring at her as his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "We're in a _library!"_

"Then come with me." She grabbed his arm, and Adrien barely had enough time to gather his things together before he was dragged out of the library and into the hallway.

She seemed rather worried, anxiously looking around to make sure the two of them were alone. "I hate to ask you for favors right now, but it's sort of an emergency. Your so-called "friend" is spreading rumors about Marinette."

Adrien's jaw fell slack. "Chloe?!"

Alya nodded, her hands already balling into fists. "That's right; you wanna know what she's been saying? She went around saying that Marinette's… _dated_ all the guys in our class."

"Dated? You mean…"

"I use the term loosely, but essentially, yeah."

"But why… why would she..?"

"Because she's a terrible human being with a black hole for a heart! Why else?"

He had always known that Chloe and Marinette didn't like each other, but Adrien couldn't imagine that she would take it that far. Sure, Chloe could go to the extreme about some things, but to think that she would care about petty revenge enough to start spreading rumors and gossip about someone like Marinette, the last person that deserved to be the victim of nasty rumors like… like _that._

"Please, I need you to tell Chloe to back off, and to tell everyone that the rumors aren't true. You're the only one she'll listen to."

He really didn't need to be convinced further. "Okay," he agreed. "I'll tell her. But what did Marinette do to make her react like that?"

"Don't even try and blame this on Marinette," she warned. "Chloe asked her to sit with her at lunch just so she could antagonize her and Marinette retaliated by telling her that she wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Chloe got embarrassed and well, here we are."

He'd heard enough, holding up a hand to stop her. "Alright, just… don't let Marinette find out about this."

"Why? Doesn't she deserve to know?"

"No, I don't want anyone picking on her because of what Chloe said. It's best if she doesn't hear about it. I'll handle it; otherwise the whole school will think that they're in some sort of feud with each other. It could get blown out of proportion."

"They _are_ in a feud with each other, have you paid attention this past school year at all?!"

"Alya-"

"Please, fix this, or I will, and my method is a lot less nice than yours is," she warned.

Adrien gulped and nodded, suddenly fearing for Chloe's life as Alya stormed off.

* * *

"What's the deal with that Alya chick? She's got a lot of nerve, asking for favors after she threatened you."

"She didn't _threaten me,_ " Adrien clarified through the closed bathroom door. "Alya wouldn't do anything like that. She's just looking out for Marinette. Besides, I don't like Chloe spreading rumors just as much as she doesn't. And she was right; Chloe wouldn't listen to her or Marinette. I'm the only one who can stop her."

"You guys are so dramatic. Speaking of that, is Ladybug your _girlfriend_ now?" Plagg asked through a mouthful of Camembert.

"Oh come off it, Plagg. She doesn't… you know, like me like that," Adrien shouted back in response from the bathroom.

"You could change that. Your charm and good looks, thanks to me of course, could win the heart of any girl!"

Adrien smiled as he fondly remembered the way Ladybug would occasionally flirt back if she was feeling up to it. Of course, it was just playful banter all in the name of good fun. Yeah. That's it.

"Not Ladybug. She's different. She doesn't fall for that."

"Apparently she does. Since when has night patrol ever been date night?" Plagg asked incredulously, a hint of suggestiveness in his tone.

"She was _joking."_ After drying his hair with a towel, he stepped out of the bathroom. "Plagg, have you seen my phone? I could've swore that I-"

As if on cue, he heard the sound of his cellphone going off, only to find that he had left it underneath the blankets on his bed.

"Hello?"

 _"_ _Adri-kins, hey, it's me!"_

"O-Oh, hey Chloe. What's up?"

 _"_ _Nothing really, just having Sabrina do my homew- I mean, just hanging out with Sabrina. But I called to ask you something."_

He didn't like where this was going. "Okay, what is it?"

 _"_ _Let's go out later tonight. I'll have a limo take us to the nicest restaurant in town. It'll be fun."_

"Chloe-"

 _"_ _Great, what time can we come-"_

 _"_ _Chloe."_ She grew silent, and Adrien took that as his cue to continue. "I know what you've been saying about Marinette."

 _"_ _Wha… What do you mean?"_

"You've been spreading _lies_ about her. Did you even think about that before you opened your mouth?"

 _"_ _I-I… she embarrassed me, Adrien! She made me look stupid in front of my friends!"_

"So you decide to lie about her _and_ all the other guys in class to get back at her?"

 _"_ _Adrien-"_

"You know, I thought we were _friends_ , I really did. Even when you acted awful, I was still your friend because you were the only one who knew what it was like to be me. When we were little you were like me, but now you're just…"

 _"_ _I'm sorry, I-"_

"We're _done._ "

 _"_ _Adrien!"_

 _Click._

"Wow…" Plagg murmured. "You sure told her."

Adrien sighed, tightly clutching his phone. "I just don't get it. I know Chloe's not perfect, but… she's the one person who understood what it was like to live my kind of life. The only difference is that she _likes it._ She's not always a good person, but she's not completely heartless either. I've seen it. But I was just so disappointed in her that I…"

The kwami shrugged. "I'm glad you got rid of her, she sounds like a drama queen to me."

He chuckled at that. "You think so?"

"Any more Camembert?"

Adrien decided to pretend that he _didn't_ notice the abrupt change of subject. "…In the fridge."

* * *

"Are you happy now, Marinette?"

Marinette barely managed to suppress a groan. Just what she needed on a Monday morning. _Chloe._

She turned around, prepared to tell the girl that she just wasn't in the mood today, but was surprised when she saw trails of mascara running down her cheeks. "Chloe…"

"D-Did you put him up to it? Tell him a-about the rumors?" she asked, her voice choked with sobs.

Marinette arched a brow in confusion. She knew full well that she was not obligated to be worried about her, but she had never seen Chloe like… like _this._ "Rumors? What rumors? Chloe, what's wrong?"

She sniffled, wiping at the mascara stains on her cheeks, smearing her powdered blush in the process. "Adrien doesn't want anything to do with me anymore, and it's all because of _you-"_

"No, it's because of _you,"_ Alya argued, stepping in front of Marinette as if defending her. "You started those rumors and they backfired on you. This is _your_ fault."

Chloe looked dumbfounded. "My fault?!"

Alya nodded. "Yes Chloe, for once in your perfect little life, something is your fault. And now, you finally get to face the consequences of your actions. If you want to earn Adrien's friendship back, then I suggest you tell everyone that the rumors aren't true." She turned back around towards the school, grabbing Marinette's arm. "Let's go Mari."

Once they got inside, Marinette wrenched her arm out of Alya's grasp. "Hey, was that necessary? Don't you think you were a little hard on her?"

Alya froze and turned to face her, laughing humorlessly. " _This_ coming from the girl that has hated Chloe Bourgeois since, well, _forever._ Aren't you glad that she's learning her lesson?"

Marinette's eyes narrowed. "Well, I just… no, never mind. You know something about those rumors. What is it?"

Her amber eyes widened, the light of the sun that was leaking in through the doorway reflecting off of her glasses. "I don't know what she said; all I know is that she was spreading rumors…"

"Then why did Chloe come to me? Why did you defend me? Is… were they about me?"

Alya lowered her head in shame. "I wanted to tell you, but… Adrien and I decided that it was for the best that we didn't. We didn't want this to get blown out of proportion any further, and we both figured that you probably didn't want to have to deal with that, not right now. I'm sorry that I kept this from you." She suddenly lifted her head, smiling confidently. "But don't worry. Chloe's gonna fix this…"

Had she really let it come this far? She had thought this was solely between her and Adrien, but had she really become so distant from everyone? First Adrien, then Chat, then her parents, and now Alya and even Chloe…

 _"_ _This blew out of control, way too fast. This… this…"_

"This is all my fault…"

Alya blinked owlishly. "Huh?"

She couldn't let this go on any longer. No more of this. No more feigning ignorance when it was clear that nobody believed it, that nobody _wanted_ to hear it anymore. No more _excuses._

"All of this is happening because of me. This is affecting everyone, I… I have to…" She pulled Alya into a quick embrace. "I'm sorry that you got dragged into this. Thanks for looking out for me, and will you get my homework for today?"

Taken aback, Alya nodded. "S-Sure, no problem…"

"Thanks." The dark-haired girl grinned and turned around towards the exit, running for all she was worth back in the direction of her home.

"Marinette, where are you going?!" Alya yelled after her.

"Home! Don't wait up!"


	8. His Lady

**A/N: Happy Eclipse Day! I know that a lot of people are going to be looking at the eclipse today but I figured I'd bring you all an update to read for later!**

 **Also, I apologize in advance for how short the next two chapters are. I would have combined them but that would've made it way too long, and they just work better as separate chapters.**

 **Enjoy both the eclipse and the new chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eight: His Lady**_

* * *

"Ladybug, you seem awfully chipper tonight."

"As do you, _Chaton."_

"Oh, so I'm Chaton now? Has my status been upgraded?"

"Maybe." She winked playfully before reaching into the basket she had brought. "Croissant?

"Mm, yes please." He eagerly accepted the treat as the two of them made themselves comfortable in a tree at the park. Ladybug had been a bit hesitant at first, but Chat assured her that if she fell he would _definitely_ catch her. "So, not that they're not _awesome,_ but what's with the treats?" He grinned in the typical, Chat Noir fashion. "Have I been a good kitty?"

She giggled, affectionately rubbing his ears. She took note of how he nudged his head into her hand for more, much like a real cat would. "Yes, you definitely have. Actually Chat, there's uh… something I wanted to talk to you about."

He waved a dismissive hand. "If it's about what you said at the hospital, then no worries my Lady. You were forgiven for that a long time ago. You're too cute to stay mad at." He lightly tapped her nose with a clawed finger before stealing a piece of her cookie.

She ducked her head shamefully, her cheeks flushing as she tried not to be distracted by the way he seductively bit off part of her cookie. "I really am sorry about that. I was just… really upset. Don't laugh at me, but recently… there was, someone I liked. Needless to say, it didn't go over very well. It was affecting me at school, and it was affecting the way I fight, but worst of all, I ended up hurting you. I'm sorry."

Did… did he hear that right?

 _"_ _It was affecting me at school."_

Did she go to school with _him?_ She had to; she obviously lived in the area and was definitely young enough.

Oddly enough, the whole situation just seemed so… _familiar._ He remembered sort-of rejecting Marinette clear as day, but… there was no way the two incidents were connected, right? It had to be a coincidence. Besides, even if that… _could be true,_ it wouldn't matter. It has to stay a secret, so until he knew for sure, _if he ever_ knew for sure, nothing like this should matter. Speculations were just that- speculations.

A brief silence passed between them before she felt Chat's hand affectionately patting her head. "It's okay, my Lady. No worries."

She indulged in the warmth of his hand and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "We've both been pretty off our game lately, but it was all because of me. I'm sorry for that too-"

He silenced her by gently pressing a finger to her lips. "No more apologizing. You've done enough." His finger then slid underneath her chin as he urged her closer. "For now, we have croissants, cookies, and…" he gestured to the starry expanse of the sky, "literally thousands of stars to look at!"

He watched as she stared in wonder, noticing how each bright star dotted the dark canvas of the night sky. He could see the stars reflected in the blue of her eyes and found himself utterly _enamored_ with his Lady. He always thought she was beautiful, but never more than when she thought he wasn't looking. _That_ was the side of her that appealed to him the most. The side that she rarely showed around him.

His Lady, bathed in starlight, wind softly stirring her hair, brushing against her reddened cheeks.

"You're gorgeous, my Lady," he said, his voice breathy. When he saw the way her cheeks heated as she turned to look at him, he gasped, his face surely matching hers now in color. "O-Oh, did I say that out loud?" He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, that was-"

"It's okay," she interrupted with a soft smile. "I appreciate the compliment."

Wow. Okay, this was weird. Ladybug responding positively to his flirting?

He had to check and make sure that he wasn't dreaming. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. It's… not like what you usually say. No offense."

Okay, this was real. _Wow_. "N-None taken mademoiselle."

She snuggled in close to him, her nose pressing against the crook of his neck. "You know, it's weird, but… the fact that we can just hang out like this, when Paris _isn't_ in danger… it's nice."

He smiled down at her. "You think so?"

"Mmhm," she answered sleepily.

"Tired already?" he asked when he saw her yawning.

"Yeah, a little." With that, she was already on her feet. "Thanks for the nice night, but I should probably go before I fall asleep."

He tried his best not to be visibly disappointed. "Y-Yeah, right…"

She pulled her yoyo off of her waist. "Let's do this again sometime, yeah? Oh, and the snacks are yours! Share them with your family or something, m- _Marinette's_ bakery could always use more publicity."

"So you _do know_ Marinette! I figured you did, where else would you get cookies as good as her father's?"

She laughed shakily. "R-Right… well then, I'm off! See ya around Chaton!"

He watched as she took off into the night, and as he did, he couldn't help but notice that her hair-ties were falling out and her hair was coming undone from its usual pigtails.

* * *

 _"_ _Chaton,_ Plagg… she called me _Chaton!"_

"Take it down a notch _loverboy_ , I'm trying to _sleep_."

"Sorry," Adrien murmured apologetically, "it's just… I didn't think I could love her any more than I already did, and now I just…"

Plagg groaned in annoyance and flattened his ears against his head as if to block out his voice. "Go get sappy on someone else, I swear that all you humans think about is _love_ and _s-"_

Adrien pointed an accusatory finger at him, blushing furiously at the thought. _"Okay, no one_ mentioned- well, _that_."

"Sorry, but it just seems pointless. Why would you want _that_ when there are better things in this world, like _food?"_

"Cause not everyone is a glutton like you," he teased.

"A glu… wha?"

"It's… oh, never mind. I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Oh yeah, make sure you smell all nice so you can kiss your _girlfriend Ladybug!_ "

"For the last time Plagg, she's _not my girlfriend!"_

* * *

"Marinette, you miss way too much school," Alya whined as she set Marinette's homework on her desk, "even the teacher's starting to notice."

Marinette laughed sheepishly. "Sorry Alya, I'm just… busy. A lot."

"So, mind explaining what that was yesterday morning?"

"Oh, that was…" She paused, trying to find the right words. She had ran off yesterday without so much as an explanation to her or anyone else. After all, she couldn't very well tell Alya that she had spent all day planning a "totally not a date" thing with Chat Noir. "I was just… thinking," she admitted, "about Adrien. I thought about what he said and… I realized that I was being irrational. Getting upset because he doesn't feel the same way is…"

"It's _natural_ ," Alya interrupted, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Everyone gets upset when they get rejected."

She noticed that the word "rejected" still stung a little. "But I shouldn't have lied to him Alya!"

"No, you shouldn't have," she agreed, "but now, you can tell him _properly, right?_ "

Marinette met her eyes, and noted that Alya wasn't wearing her usual confident smirk, but rather a warm smile. "Yeah. I don't wanna run anymore. I've thought a lot about it, and I just can't let things go on like this. I want to apologize to him."

"That's my girl." Alya patted her on the head before heading towards the door. "I gotta go, I have homework of my own to do."

"Wait, Alya?"

"Yeah?"

Marinette smiled. "Thanks."


	9. Friends

**A/N: We've reached the end of part 1! Thank you all so much for the favs/follows/reviews! I really appreciate it!**

 **Again, this chapter is short, like super-duper short, so for that I apologize, but hopefully you will enjoy it!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Nine: Friends**_

* * *

She was going to do it. Today, after weeks of avoiding Adrien, she was finally going to talk to him again.

She had to be the one to fix it, after all. She was the one who broke it in the first place. She lied, she forced him into this situation, and so she had to be the one to get them both out of it. Surely this was as uncomfortable for him as it was for her.

When she arrived at school that morning, she was surprised to find that it was a relatively nice day. The sun was out, not a single cloud in sight, and the sky was as vibrant as ever. And there, looking like he could outshine the sun was Adrien, standing under the shade that the trees provided. He looked like a god, as per usual, but she wasn't going to be distracted by him, not today. Today, she was not his distant admirer. She was his friend, and nothing else.

"Hey, Adrien," she said, noting the way he perked up when she called his name, "do you have a few minutes?"

He seemed rather shocked to see her approach him so willingly. She noticed his apprehension and couldn't help but feel a little bit hesitant herself.

"Um, sure, what is it?"

She shuffled a bit nervously, but otherwise kept her composure. She wouldn't lose her nerve, not now. "Listen… I… I know things haven't been great between us lately. And… what I'm trying to say is… I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry for lying about how I felt, and I'm sorry for avoiding you."

She anxiously bit her bottom lip as she shyly looked up at him, awaiting a response. He was looking down at her and, just for a moment, she relished in the way the sun brightened his hair and warmed his face.

"It's okay," he said softly. "I understand why you did it. You thought it was easier than admitting the truth. And I… _did_ sort of confront you about it out of the blue, but I… I just didn't want to lead you on."

She nodded. "Thank you for that. It was me who was running from how I felt. But… even if you don't feel that way, I missed having you as my friend."

"Me too," he admitted. "I missed you a lot."

"Then…" she stuck out her hand, "friends?"

He took her hand and, in a move that surprised them both, pulled her into his arms. "Friends."

 _Is this his way of helping me?_

Just for that fleeting moment, she let herself indulge in his embrace, in the strength of his arms as they held her to him. This would probably be the first and last time Adrien Agreste ever held her in his arms, the first and last time she was ever this close to him.

"So," she asked when they separated, "w-who's the lucky lady, if you don't mind me asking?"

He blushed a bit, and Marinette couldn't help but find it cute. Downright adorable, really. "How do you know that there's someone else?"

Truthfully, she didn't know. There was a strange part of her that was sort of hoping that there _was_ someone else, that way he had a reason for not liking her… in _that_ way, at least, and it was a reason that she may be able to come to terms with one day. But apparently, she had guessed correctly. "Lucky guess?"

"…You'll laugh at me."

She shook her head vehemently. "No way! I won't, promise!"

"You sure?"

"Definitely. Tell me!" she urged. The thought still made her a bit uncomfortable, but now that they were friends again, she wanted to do all she could to support him. And what better way than to help him out with a crush?

"Ladybug," he said in a quiet voice, just barely above a whisper. "I'm in love with her."

* * *

 **A/N: ...I know, I'm evil for ending it there. But there will be more to come in part 2!**

 **Hopefully you guys enjoyed this, I had a lot of fun writing it! Stay tuned for the sequel!**


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